Opel Zafira (2017 year). Instruction — part 11

166

Driving and operating

Brakes

The brake system comprises two

independent brake circuits.
If a brake circuit fails, the vehicle can

still be braked using the other brake

circuit. However, braking effect is

achieved only when the brake pedal

is depressed firmly. Considerably

more force is needed for this. The

braking distance is extended. Seek

the assistance of a workshop before

continuing your journey.
When the engine is not running, the

support of the brake servo unit

disappears once the brake pedal has

been depressed once or twice.

Braking effect is not reduced, but

braking requires significantly greater

force. It is especially important to bear

this in mind when being towed.
Control indicator R 3 112.

Antilock brake system

Antilock brake system (ABS)

prevents the wheels from locking.

ABS starts to regulate brake pressure

as soon as a wheel shows a tendency

to lock. The vehicle remains

steerable, even during hard braking.
ABS control is made apparent

through a pulse in the brake pedal

and the noise of the regulation

process.
For optimum braking, keep the brake

pedal fully depressed throughout the

braking process, despite the fact that

the pedal is pulsating. Do not reduce

the pressure on the pedal.
After starting off the system performs

a self-test which may be audible.

Control indicator u 3 113.

Adaptive brake light

During full braking, all three brake

lights flash for the duration of ABS

control.

Fault

9 Warning

If there is a fault in the ABS, the

wheels may be liable to lock due

to braking that is heavier than

normal. The advantages of ABS

are no longer available. During

hard braking, the vehicle can no

longer be steered and may

swerve.

Have the cause of the fault remedied

by a workshop.

Parking brake

9 Warning

Before leaving the vehicle, check

parking brake status. Control

indicator R (instruction parking

brake) or m (electrical parking

brake) must illuminate constantly.

Driving and operating

167

Instruction parking brake

9 Warning

Always apply parking brake firmly

without operating the release

button, and apply as firmly as

possible on a downhill or uphill

slope.
To release the parking brake, pull

the lever up slightly, press the

release button and fully lower the

lever.
To reduce the operating forces of

the parking brake, depress the

foot brake at the same time.

Control indicator R 3 112.

Electric parking brake

Applying when vehicle is stationary

9 Warning

Pull switch m for a minimum of

one second until control indicator

m

illuminates constantly and

electric parking brake is applied

3

113. The electric parking brake

operates automatically with

adequate force.
Before leaving the vehicle, check

the electric parking brake status.

Control indicator m 3 113.

The electric parking brake can always

be activated, even if the ignition is off.
Do not operate electric parking brake

system too often with engine not

running, as this will discharge the

vehicle battery.

Releasing

Switch on ignition. Keep foot brake

pedal depressed and then push

switch m.

Drive away function

Vehicles with instruction transmission:

Depressing the clutch pedal and then

slightly releasing the clutch pedal and

slightly depressing the accelerator

pedal releases the electric parking

brake automatically. This is not

possible when the switch m is pulled

at the same time.

168

Driving and operating

Vehicles with automatic transmission:

Engaging D and then depressing the

accelerator pedal releases the

electric parking brake automatically.

This is not possible when the switch

m

is pulled at the same time.

Dynamic braking when vehicle is

moving

When the vehicle is moving and the

switch m is kept pulled, the electric

parking brake system will decelerate

the vehicle, but will not apply

statically.
As soon as the switch m is released,

dynamic braking will be stopped.

Functionality check

When the vehicle is not moving, the

electric parking brake might be

applied automatically. This is done to

check the system.

Fault

Failure mode of electric parking brake

is indicated by a control indicator j

and by a vehicle message which is

displayed in the Driver Information

Centre. Vehicle messages 3 123.

Apply electric parking brake: pull and

hold switch m for more than five

seconds. If control indicator m

illuminates, electric parking brake is

applied.
Release electric parking brake: push

and hold the switch m for more than

two seconds. If control indicator m

extinguishes, electric parking brake is

released.
Control indicator m flashes: electric

parking brake is not fully applied or

released. When continuously

flashing, release electric parking

brake and retry applying.

Brake assist

If brake pedal is depressed quickly

and forcefully, maximum brake force

is automatically applied.
Operation of brake assist might

become apparent by a pulse in the

brake pedal and a greater resistance

when depressing the brake pedal.

Maintain steady pressure on the

brake pedal as long as full braking is

required. Maximum brake force is

automatically reduced when brake

pedal is released.

Hill start assist

The system helps prevent unintended

movement when driving away on

inclines.
When releasing the brake pedal after

stopping on an incline, the brakes

remain on for a further two seconds.

The brakes release automatically as

soon as the vehicle begins to

accelerate or the two seconds holding

time is over.
The hill start assist is not active during

an Autostop.

Driving and operating

169

Ride control systems

Traction Control system

The Traction Control system (TC) is a

component of the Electronic Stability

Control.
TC improves driving stability when

necessary, regardless of the type of

road surface or tyre grip, by

preventing the drive wheels from

spinning.
As soon as the drive wheels starts to

spin, engine output is reduced and

the wheel spinning the most is braked

individually. This considerably

improves the driving stability of the

vehicle on slippery road surfaces.

TC is operational after each engine

start as soon as the control indicator

b

extinguishes.

When TC operates b flashes.

9

Warning

Do not let this special safety

feature tempt you into taking risks

when driving.
Adapt speed to the road

conditions.

Control indicator b 3 114.

Deactivation

TC can be switched off when spinning

of drive wheels is required: press b

briefly.

A status message appears in the

Driver Information Centre when TC is

deactivated.

Control indicator k illuminates.
When TC is deactivated, ESC

remains active but with higher control

threshold.
TC is reactivated by pressing b

again. A status message pops-up in

the Driver Information Centre when

TC is reactivated.
TC is also reactivated the next time

the ignition is switched on.

Fault

If there is a fault in the system the

control indicator b illuminates

continuously and a message appears

in the Driver Information Centre. The

system is not operational.

170

Driving and operating

Have the cause of the fault remedied

by a workshop.

Electronic Stability Control

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

improves driving stability when

necessary, regardless of the type of

road surface or tyre grip.
As soon as the vehicle starts to

swerve (understeer/oversteer),

engine output is reduced and the

wheels are braked individually.
ESC operates in combination with the

Traction Control system (TC). It

prevents the drive wheels from

spinning.

ESC is operational after each engine

start as soon as the control indicator

b

extinguishes.

When ESC operates b flashes.

9

Warning

Do not let this special safety

feature tempt you into taking risks

when driving.
Adapt speed to the road

conditions.

Control indicator b 3 114.

Deactivation

ESC and TC can be deactivated:

● hold b pressed for a minimum of

five seconds: ESC and TC are

both deactivated. k and n

illuminate and status messages

appear in the Driver Information

Centre.

● To deactivate only Traction

control system press button b

briefly: TC is inactive but ESC

remains active, k illuminates. A

status message appears in the

Driver Information Centre when

TC is deactivated.

ESC is reactivated by pressing the

b

button again. If the TC system was

previously disabled, both TC and

ESC are reactivated. k and n

extinguishes when TC and ESC are

reactivated.
ESC is also reactivated the next time

the ignition is switched on.

Driving and operating

171

Fault

If there is a fault in the system the

control indicator b illuminates

continuously and a message appears

in the Driver Information Centre. The

system is not operational.
Have the cause of the fault remedied

by a workshop.

Interactive driving system

Flex Ride

Flex Ride driving system allows the

driver to select between three driving

modes:

● SPORT mode: press SPORT,

LED illuminates.

● TOUR mode: press TOUR, LED

illuminates.

● Normal mode: neither SPORT or

TOUR are pressed, no LED

illuminates.

Deactivate SPORT mode and TOUR

mode by pressing the corresponding

button once more.

In each driving mode Flex Ride

networks the following electronic

systems:

● Continuous Damping Control
● Accelerator Pedal Control
● Steering Control
● Automatic transmission

SPORT mode

The settings of the systems are

adapted to a sportier driving style:

● Damping of shock absorbers

reacts more stiffly to provide

better contact with the road

surface.

● The engine reacts more quickly

to the accelerator pedal.

● Steering support is reduced.
● Shift points of automatic

transmission occur later.

TOUR mode

172

Driving and operating

The settings of the systems are

adapted to a comfort driving style:

● Damping of shock absorbers

reacts more softly.

● Accelerator pedal reacts with

standard settings.

● Steering support is in standard

mode.

● Shift points of automatic

transmission occur in a comfort

mode.

Normal mode

All settings of the systems are

adapted to standard values.

Drive mode control

Within each instruction selected driving

mode SPORT, TOUR or Normal, the

Drive Mode Control (DMC) detects

and analyses continuously the real

driving characteristics, responses by

the driver, and the active dynamic

state of the vehicle. If necessary, the

control unit of DMC automatically

changes the settings within the

selected driving mode or, when

recognising greater variations, the

driving mode is changed for the

length of variation.
If, for example, Normal mode is

selected and DMC detects a sporty

driving behaviour, DMC changes

several settings of the Normal mode

into sporty settings. The DMC

changes to SPORT mode in case of

very sporty driving behaviour.
If, for example, TOUR mode is

selected and whilst driving on a

winding road a sudden hard brake is

necessary, DMC will detect the

dynamic vehicle condition and

changes the settings for suspension

to SPORT mode to increase vehicle

stability.
When the driving characteristic or the

dynamic vehicle state returns to

former state, DMC will change the

settings to the preselected driving

mode.

Personalised settings in the Sport

mode

The driver can select the functions of

the SPORT mode when SPORT is

pressed.

Select the relevant settings in

Settings in the Info-Display.
Info-Display 3 121.
Vehicle personalisation 3 125.

Driving and operating

173

Driver assistance

systems

9 Warning

Driver assistance systems are

developed to support the driver

and not to replace the driver's

attention.
The driver accepts full

responsibility when driving the

vehicle.
When using driver assistance

systems, always take care

regarding the current traffic

situation.

Cruise control

The cruise control can store and

maintain speeds of approx. 30 km/h

to maximum vehicle speed.

Deviations from the stored speeds

may occur when driving uphill or

downhill.

For safety reasons, the cruise control

cannot be activated until the foot

brake has been operated once.

Activation in first gear is not possible.

Do not use the cruise control if it is not

advisable to maintain a constant

speed.
With automatic transmission, only

activate cruise control in automatic

mode.
Control indicator m 3 116.

Switching on

Press m; control indicator m in

instrument cluster illuminates white.

Activation

Accelerate to the desired speed and

turn thumb wheel to SET/-, the

current speed is stored and

maintained. Control indicator m in

instrument cluster illuminates green.

Accelerator pedal can be released.
Vehicle speed can be increased by

depressing the accelerator pedal.

When the accelerator pedal is

released, the previously stored speed

is resumed.
Cruise control remains activated

while gearshifting.

174

Driving and operating

Increase speed

With cruise control active, hold thumb

wheel turned to RES/+ or briefly turn

to RES/+ repeatedly: speed

increases continuously or in small

increments.
Alternatively accelerate to the desired

speed and store by turning to SET/-.

Reduce speed

With cruise control active, hold thumb

wheel turned to SET/- or briefly turn to

SET/- repeatedly: speed decreases

continuously or in small increments.

Deactivation

Press y, control indicator m in

instrument cluster illuminates white.
Cruise control is deactivated, but not

switched off. Last stored speed

remains in memory for later speed

resume.
Automatic deactivation:

● Vehicle speed is below approx.

30 km/h.

● Vehicle speed drops more than

25 km/h below the set speed.

● The brake pedal is depressed.
● The clutch pedal is depressed for

a few seconds.

● Selector lever is in N.
● Engine speed is in a very low

range.

● The Traction Control system or

Electronic Stability Control is

operating.

● Parking brake is applied.
● Simultaneous pressing RES/+

and brake pedal deactivates

cruise control and will delete

stored speed.

Resume stored speed

Turn thumb wheel to RES/+ at a

speed above 30 km/h. The stored

speed will be obtained.

Switching off

Press m, control indicator m in

instrument cluster extinguishes. The

stored speed is deleted.
Pressing L to activate the speed

limiter or switching off the ignition also

switches off cruise control and

deletes the stored speed.

Speed limiter

The speed limiter prevents the

vehicle exceeding a preset maximum

speed.
The maximum speed can be set at

speeds above 25 km/h up to

200 km/h.
The driver can only accelerate up to

the preset speed. Deviations from the

limited speed may occur when driving

downhill.

Driving and operating

175

The preset speed limit is displayed in

the Driver Information Centre when

the system is active.

Activation

Press L. Symbol Lilluminates in the

Driver Information Centre.
If cruise control or adaptive cruise

control has been activated before, it

is switched off when speed limiter is

activated and the control indicator m

extinguishes.

Set speed limit

Accelerate to the desired speed and

briefly turn thumb wheel to SET/-: the

current speed is stored as maximum

speed. L and the speed limit is

displayedin the Driver Information

Centre.

Change speed limit

With speed limiter active, turn thumb

wheel to RES/+ to increase or SET/-

to decrease the desired maximum

speed.

Exceeding the speed limit

When exceeding the limited speed

without driver input, the speed will

flash in the Driver Information Centre

and a chime sounds during this

period.

In the event of an emergency, it is

possible to exceed the speed limit by

depressing the accelerator pedal

firmly nearly to the final point. In this

case no chime appears.
Release the accelerator pedal and

the speed limiter function is

reactivated once a speed lower than

the limit speed is obtained.

Deactivation

Press y: speed limiter is deactivated

and the vehicle can be driven without

speed limit.

The stored limited speed is indicated

in brackets. Additionally, a

corresponding message appears.
Speed limiter is deactivated, but not

switched off. Last stored speed

remains in memory for later speed

resume.

176

Driving and operating

Resume limit speed

Turn thumb wheel to RES/+. The

stored speed limit will be obtained

and is indicated without brackets in

the Driver Information Centre.

Switching off

Press L, the speed limit indication

extinguishes in the Driver Information

Centre. The stored speed is deleted.
By pressing m to activate cruise

control or adaptive cruise control,

speed limiter is also deactivated and

the stored speed is deleted.
By switching off the ignition, speed

limiter is also deactivated, but the

speed limit will be stored for next

speed limiter activation.

Adaptive cruise control

Adaptive cruise control is an

enhancement to traditional cruise

control with the additional feature of

maintaining a certain distance behind

the vehicle ahead.

Adaptive cruise control automatically

decelerates the vehicle when

approaching a slower moving vehicle.

It then adjusts the vehicle speed to

follow the vehicle ahead at the

selected following distance. The

vehicle speed increases or decreases

to follow the vehicle in front, but will

not exceed the set speed. It may

apply limited braking with activated

brake lights.
The adaptive cruise control can store

and maintain speeds over approx.

50 km/h and brakes automatically to

follow a slower vehicle driving ahead

down to a minimum speed of

30 km/h.

Adaptive cruise control uses a radar

sensor to detect the vehicles ahead.

If no vehicle is detected in the driving

path, the adaptive cruise control will

behave like a traditional cruise

control.

For safety reasons, the system

cannot be activated before the brake

pedal has been depressed once after

switching on ignition. Activation in first

gear is not possible.
Adaptive cruise control is mainly

advised to be used on long straight

roads, e.g. highways or country roads

with steady traffic. Do not use the

system if it is not advisable to

maintain a constant speed.
Control indicator A 3 117, m 3 116.

9 Warning

The complete driver attention is

always required while driving with

adaptive cruise control. The driver

stays fully in control of the vehicle

because the brake pedal, the

accelerator pedal and the cancel

switch have priority over any

adaptive cruise control operation.

Driving and operating

177

Switching on

Press C to switch on adaptive cruise

control. The control indicator m

illuminates white. Additionally C

appears in the Driver Information

Centre.

Activation by setting the speed

Adaptive cruise control can be

activated between 50 km/h and

180 km/h.
Accelerate to the desired speed and

turn thumb wheel to SET/-; the

current speed is stored and

maintained. Control indicator m

illuminates green.

The adaptive cruise control symbol

C

, the following distance setting and

set speed are indicated in the Driver

Information Centre.
The accelerator pedal can be

released. Adaptive cruise control

remains activated while gearshifting.

Overriding set speed

It is always possible to drive faster

than the selected set speed by

depressing the accelerator pedal.

When the accelerator pedal is

released, the vehicle returns to the

desired distance if a slower vehicle is

ahead. Otherwise it returns to the

stored speed.
Once the system is activated,

adaptive cruise control decelerates or

brakes if it detects a vehicle ahead

which is slower or closer than the

desired following distance.

9

Warning

Accelerating by the driver

deactivates automatic braking by

the system. This is indicated as a

pop-up warning in the Driver

Information Centre.

Increase speed

With adaptive cruise control active,

hold thumb wheel turned to RES/+:

speed increases continuously in large

increments, or activate RES/+

repeatedly: speed increases in small

increments.
If the vehicle is driven with adaptive

cruise control active much faster than

the desired speed, e.g. after

depressing the accelerator pedal,

then the current speed can be stored

and maintained by turning the thumb

wheel to SET/-.

Reduce speed

With adaptive cruise control active,

hold thumb wheel turned to SET/-:

speed decreases continuously in

178

Driving and operating

large increments, or activate SET/-

repeatedly: speed decreases in small

increments.
If the vehicle is driven with adaptive

cruise control active much slower

than the desired speed, e.g. because

of a slower vehicle ahead, then the

current speed can be stored and

maintained by turning the thumb

wheel to SET/-.

Resume stored speed

If the system is switched on but

inactive, then turn thumb wheel to

RES/+ at a speed above 50 km/h to

resume the stored speed.
The stored speed is indicated in

brackets when the system is switched

on but not active,

Setting the following distance

When adaptive cruise control detects

a slower moving vehicle in the driving

path, it will adjust the vehicle speed to

maintain the following distance

selected by the driver.
The following distance can be set to

near, medium or far.

Press E, the current setting is shown

in the Driver Information Centre.

Press E again to change the

following distance. The setting is also

displayed in the Driver Information

Centre.

The selected following distance is

indicated by filled distance bars on

the adaptive cruise control page.
Note that the following distance

setting is shared with the sensitivity

setting of forward collision alert.
Example: If setting 3 (far) is selected,

then the driver is warned sooner

before a possible collision, also if

adaptive cruise control is inactive or

switched off.

Driving and operating

179

9 Warning

The driver accepts full

responsibility for the appropriate

following distance based on traffic,

weather and visibility conditions.

Following distance must be

adjusted or the system switched

off when required by the prevailing

conditions.

Detecting the vehicle ahead

The green illuminated vehicle ahead

control indicator A is displayed when

the system detects a vehicle in the

driving path.
Forward collision alert 3 182.
If this symbol does not appear, or

appears briefly, adaptive cruise

control will not respond to vehicles

ahead.

Deactivation

Adaptive cruise control is deactivated

by the driver when:

● y is pressed.
● Brake pedal is applied.
● Clutch pedal is depressed for

more than four seconds.

● Selector lever of automatic

transmission is moved to N.

The system is also automatically

deactivated when:

● Vehicle speed accelerates above

190 km/h or slows down below

45 km/h.

● The Traction Control system is

operating.

● Electronic Stability Control is

operating.

● There is no traffic and nothing

detected on the road sides for

several minutes. In this case

there are no radar echoes and

the sensor may report that it is

blocked.

● The active emergency braking

system is applying the brakes.

● Driving on steep inclines.
● Radar sensor is blocked by an ice

or water film.

● A fault is detected in the radar,

engine or brake system.

When adaptive cruise control is

deactivated, the control indicator m

changes from green to white and a

pop-up message is displayed in the

Driver Information Centre.

The stored speed is maintained and

indicated in brackets in the Driver

Information Centre. The system is

deactivated but not switched off.

9 Warning

When adaptive cruise control is

deactivated, the driver must take

over full brake and engine control.

180

Driving and operating

Switching off

Press C to switch off adaptive cruise

control. The control indicator m and

C

in the Driver Information Centre

extinguish. The stored speed is

deleted.
Switching off the ignition also

switches off adaptive cruise control

and deletes the stored speed.

Driver's attention

● Use adaptive cruise control

carefully on bends or mountain

roads, as it can lose the vehicle

ahead and require time to detect

it again.

● Do not use the system on

slippery roads as it can create

rapid changes in tyre traction

(wheel spinning), so that you

could lose control of the vehicle.

● Do not use adaptive cruise

control during rain, snow or

heavy dirt, as the radar sensor

can be covered by a water film,

dust, ice or snow. This reduces or

completely suppresses the

visibility. In case of sensor

blockage, clean the sensor

cover.

System limits

● The system's automatic brake

force does not permit hard

braking and the braking level

may not be sufficient to avoid a

collision.

● After a sudden lane change, the

system needs a certain time to

detect the next preceding

vehicle. So if a new vehicle is

detected, the system may

accelerate instead of braking.

● Adaptive cruise control does

ignore the oncoming traffic.

● Adaptive cruise control does not

brake for pedestrians, animals,

very slow speed driving or

stopped vehicles.

● Don't use adaptive cruise control

when towing a trailer.

Bends

The adaptive cruise control calculates

a predicted path based on the

centrifugal force. This predicted path

considers the current bend

characteristic, but cannot consider a

future bend change. The system may

lose the current vehicle ahead or

consider a vehicle which is not in the

actual lane. This can happen when

entering or exiting a bend or if the

bend gets stronger or weaker. If it no

longer detects any vehicle ahead,

then control indicator A will

extinguish.
If the centrifugal force is too high in a

bend, the system slows down the

vehicle slightly. This braking level is

not designed to avoid spinning off the

bend. The driver is responsible for

reducing the selected speed before

Driving and operating

181

entering a bend and in general to

adapt the speed to the road type and

to existing speed limits.

Motorways

On motorways, adapt the set speed

to the situation and the weather.

Always consider that adaptive cruise

control has a limited visibility range, a

limited braking level and a certain

reaction time to verify if a vehicle is in

the driving path or not. Adaptive

cruise control may not be able to

brake the vehicle in time to avoid a

collision with a much slower vehicle or

after a lane change. This is

particularly true if driving fast or if the

visibility is reduced due to weather

conditions.
While entering or exiting a motorway,

adaptive cruise control may lose the

vehicle ahead and accelerate up to

the set speed. For this reason,

decrease the set speed before the

exit or before the entry.

Vehicle path changes

If another vehicle enters your driving

path, adaptive cruise control will first

consider the vehicle when it is

completely in your path. Be ready to

take action and depress the brake

pedal, if you need to brake more

quickly.

Hill and trailer considerations

System performance on hills and

when towing a trailer depends on

vehicle speed, vehicle load, traffic

conditions and the road gradient. It

may not detect a vehicle in your path

while driving on hills. On steep hills,

you may have to use the accelerator

pedal to maintain your vehicle speed.

When going downhill, especially

when towing a trailer, you may have

to brake to maintain or reduce your

speed.
Note that applying the brake

deactivates the system. It is not

recommended to use adaptive cruise

control on steep hills especially when

towing a trailer.